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Hoping to Make Phone Buyers Flip
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By LAURA M. HOLSON
Published: February 29, 2008
These days, designing a new mobile phone can seem like something out of an episode of “Dr. Phil.”

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Ann Johansson for The New York Times
Rhys Newman is the head of a team at Nokia charged with forecasting what consumers will want next year, and into the future.

Ann Johansson for The New York Times
Raphael Grignani, a designer, at Nokia's design center in California. His research group is the first of its kind at Nokia.
"Emotional attachment to a phone or any features therein is a sign of deep, deep sickness. Put it down and go for a walk."
LG Electronics, the maker of the Chocolate and Voyager phones, begins by asking focus groups to keep a journal, jotting down feelings about features they like most. Participants can call a toll-free number to share their emotions about the phone they are testing. And sometimes they are asked to draw pictures that represent their mood when they hold the phone.

Rhys Newman is the head of a team at Nokia charged with forecasting what consumers will want next year, and into the future: